Once upon a time, Ross Flournoy was the man behind Silver Lake indie power-pop outfit The Broken West (previously The Brokedown), before breaking down and reforming as the more garage Apex Manor. Then he disappeared, only to now return with the strong indie-fuzz of Heartbreak City.
The years and changes haven’t tempered Flournoy or made him shift into synth-pop, but he has changed. Most notable is the layer of indie-fuzz across the album, reminiscent of nineties shoegaze and others. It’s best done when layered over a strong indie-road pressure on pieces like “Asked & Answered”, “Where My Mind Goes”, and “Nervous Wreck”. But there’s also more subdued (“Actual Size”), lighter (“Sara Now”), and airy wash (“Diamond In the Dark”, “Sanctuary”).
Ross Flournoy isn’t going to be a breakout indie star like might have been a decade-plus ago. But he’s delivered a strong return in Heartbreak City.
